Page 71 of No Fear

“And we’ll get you there as soon as we can. Do you want me to call your folks yet?”

“No. They’ll only worry. I’ll call when we know more.”

“Anyone else I can call?”

The only other person he wanted to talk to was Charlie. He missed her. Every time he’d closed his eyes on this op, he thought about her. It was wrong, but he couldn’t help it. He shook his head.

“No.” No way did he want her seeing him like this.

The door opened.

“The doctor has the results of today’s scan. He’ll be by in a minute,” Dex said, his voice calmer.

Donnie turned his head toward him, but before he could speak the doctor entered and announced himself in accented English.

“We’ll wait outside,” Dex offered.

“No. Stay.” Donnie said. They might as well hear it firsthand.

“There is some good news. The inflammation has reduced; the medication is working.” The doctor said in his thick German accent.

“That’s great news,” Steve said.

“What’s the bad news?” Donnie asked, his heart racing.

“It’s too soon to tell about your eyes. Once the inflammation has gone completely, we can do more tests. It’s reducing slowly and might take some time. You should be prepared.”

“How much time?”

“Hard to say. Days, weeks.”

Donnie squeezed his eyes shut. Weeks? Was he supposed to lie here and just wait?

“There is a little more good news. You are stable enough to be transported. You can return home.”

Donnie nodded, not trusting his voice to speak.

“Thank you, doctor,” Dex said.

“Mr. Donaldson. I will speak with Westside and transfer our records, so they can take over your care.”

“You’re going home, buddy. Just like you wanted,” Steve said as the doctor left.

“Steve, give us a minute,” Dex said.

The bed dipped as Dex sat on the edge.

“You’re going to get through this, Donnie.” His team leader’s voice was firm.

Donnie clenched his fists, desperately trying not to let the emotion spill over.

“I don’t know what I’ll do if I can’t...” He trailed off, not wanting to voice his fear.

“Listen to the doctor. Be patient. The team are going to be right by your side whether you like it or not.” He felt a hand squeeze his shoulder. “Whatever you need. Got it?”

“Yeah. I know. I shouldn’t have said that before. You’re right. They have to be stopped.”

“Forget it. You got every right to be angry.”